Innovation is coming to New Chauncey Neighborhood, and this time, it's going to be something neighbors can see.

Ryan O'Gara, assistant director for the Area Plan Commission of Tippecanoe County, said New Chauncey soon will have a form-based code, which will give planners power to set parameters on the outside appearance of any new development.

"It's ensuring anything new conforms with the best of what that neighborhood has to offer," he said.

Before that code is established, a rezone of New Chauncey must be approved by the APC on Wednesday and then by the West Lafayette City Council in August. The rezone is based on the New Chauncey Neighborhood plan finalized in 2013.

The land-use section of the plan was a key document, O'Gara said, and planners found homeowners wanted to limit rentals and keep similar types of developments together. The proposed zoning looks to ensure that different developments don't end up in the wrong pocket of the neighborhood.

As O'Gara put it, the land-use plan served as "this is what we want," and the zoning serves as "this is how you do it."

City Council Member Peter Bunder said residents shouldn't be too worried about the rezone.

"Lots of people have been interested in the APC signs at the corner of the neighborhood, but this is not scary," he said. "This is not traumatic. This is an attempt by the APC to give zoning content to the land-use plan that we spent several years creating. ... This is an attempt to create a technical response to the land-use narrative."

O'Gara said the rezone will not impact current landowners — they'll be grandfathered in — but it will affect all new development or redevelopment within the area. Additionally, nearly all of the land in New Chauncey will be zoned the same and see no changes. There will be more single- or two-family lots and multifamily lots zoned along Northwestern Avenue, among other changes.

An innovative idea

If approved by the APC and city council, the next step will be to develop the form-based code over the course of about six months, through a series of public discussions and meetings with city officials, O'Gara said.

In Indiana, Fishers is the only city to use form-based code, so it's an innovative idea, he added.

Up next: Lafayette, where planners are creating form-based code in Centennial Neighborhood. O'Gara said Centennial's code will be presented to the public in just a few months.

Bunder said he's curious to see how things work out on that side of the Wabash River.

"I really am interested in seeing the scope of the overlay zone for Centennial," he said. "That will make all of this clearer to (everyone)."

The goal of form-based code is to unify how neighborhoods look. In the case of New Chauncey, it will need to work in tandem with the Historic Preservation Commission, which was formed in 2013 but saw its first test in April.

The test involved a proposed home in New Chauncey, and the process was fraught with negotiations on the part of the developer and the commission as both struggled to agree on a design. In the future, form-based code could help prevent some of that back-and-forth by clearly explaining development expectations up-front.

Bunder, who is on that commission, said there will likely be some friction between the code and commission in the beginning as both try to sort out their roles.

"The interaction between the zoning changes, the Historic Preservation Commission and the overlay zone will be worked out as experience builds," he said.

Purpose of form-based code

Although the code controls the outside appearance, it does not affect what developers can do inside a structure.

O'Gara said the form-based code for New Chauncey could include such things as "build-to lines" rather than setbacks, meaning developers would have to move buildings closer to the sidewalk with garages further behind. Such measures would make the neighborhood more pedestrian and cyclist friendly, he said. Planners also could require front doors to be a certain height above the ground, which would by nature require porches and steps.

But O'Gara said planners must be careful not to be too strict on guidelines so development isn't hindered.

"That's the debate we'll have in this second step: How tight do we want the screws to be?" he said.

Such incentives could include allowing higher population density within apartment buildings if developers use eco-friendly lights or fixtures, or requiring less parking if developers fund or add to public art.

"We want to make sure that there's good form-based standards along with incentives," O'Gara said. "We want to make sure we give them something back."

Another incentive provided by form-based code is an expedited process for developers. O'Gara said because the design expectations will be set from the get-go, developers will likely see fewer public hearings and need fewer drafts of plans.

"There shouldn't be too many surprises," he said.

Bunder said he is excited to see how the code will play out.

"It is a way of doing for the middle class what gated communities do for the upper class: preserving the character of the neighborhood," he said.

If you go

What: A meeting regarding the rezone by the Area Plan Commission of Tippecanoe County.